Muhammad and the Golden Bough
Reconstructing Arabian Myth
Published on 1. December 1996
Book
Hardback
184 pages
978-0-253-33208-0 (ISBN)
Description
Through its development of a methodology for analysing the mythic and folkloric traditions of pre-Islamic Arabia and the process of their incorporation into Islamic myth and Qur'anic texts, "Muhammad and the Golden Bough" offers compelling insights for students of Islam, comparative religion, and cultural anthropology. By linking Arabic myth with a broad range of ancient and classical texts - including Gilgamesh, Homer, and the Hebrew Bible - the book makes a provocative contribution to Biblical and ancient Near Eastern studies, classics, and comparative literature. The richness of myth in Arab-Islamic culture has long been ignored or even denied.In "Muhammad and the Golden Bough", Jaroslav Stetkevych demonstrates the existence of a coherent pre-Islamic Arabian myth that was subsequently incorporated into Islamic poetic tradition. The study dissects the intriguing Arab-Islamic myth built around Muhammad's unearthing of a 'golden bough' from the grave of the last survivor of an ancient Arab people, the Thamud, who, according to the myth, were destroyed by a divine scourge for their iniquity.
Stetkevych draws together the lore of pre-Islamic Arabia, the Qu'ran, and the Biography of the Prophet. Once reconstructed and deconstructed, the Arabian myth then serves as the basis for a comparative study that links Arabic mythic traditions with Gilgamesh, Homer, and the Hebrew Bible.
Stetkevych draws together the lore of pre-Islamic Arabia, the Qu'ran, and the Biography of the Prophet. Once reconstructed and deconstructed, the Arabian myth then serves as the basis for a comparative study that links Arabic mythic traditions with Gilgamesh, Homer, and the Hebrew Bible.
Reviews / Votes
"Breaks down the traditional isolation of the Arabic poetic-religious tradition from the broader intellectual and literary currents in the ancient world ... in scintillating, easily comprehensible, and elegant prose... It is truly brilliant." - Richard W. Bulliet "Stetkevych succeeds brilliantly in reconstructing the myth of the destruction of the Thamud, an ancient people of north Arabia... This book will add a new dimension to the study of Near Eastern and Mediterranean myth and legend." -Choice "Stetkevych's critical and wide-ranging perspective reveals a wealth of insights. This book is must reading for everyone in the field of religion and one of the most important works in recent years." --Brannon M. Wheeler, Religious Studies Review "The graceful writing, interdisciplinary scope, and hermeneutical depth should make it compelling reading for those interested in the mythos of Arabia before and at the birth of Islam and in comparable myths in neighboring civilizations." --Michael A. Sells, MESA Bulletin "It opens up new dimensions of how to think about, how to study, how to see interrelationships in the ancient Arabian world and their connections with the Mediterranean world in general... a stunning piece of work." Richard W. Bulliet, Chronicle of Higher Education "Jaroslav Stetkevych has developed powerful new arguments for understanding myth as a given culture's encoding of its truth-values. His approach, keenly attuned to the historical and linguistic realities of ancient Arabian culture, leads to a stunning reassessment of James Frazer's celebrated model of the golden bough." --Gregory Nagy, Harvard UniversityMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Bloomington, IN
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 222 mm
Width: 144 mm
Weight
500 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-253-33208-0 (9780253332080)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
New editions
Book
06/2000
Indiana University Press
€17.50
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Content
Introduction: reclaiming Arabian myth. The textual puzzle; the Thamudic backdrop to the puzzle; the first answer to the puzzle - the raid on Tabuk; the Totem and the taboo; poeticising the Thamud; demythologising the Thamud; the scream; the Arabian golden bough and kindred branches - Frazer, Vergil, Homer, and Gilgamesh.